First of all, Merry Christmas sweet friends!
Blogging has been at the bottom of the priority list lately, but imagine my surprise when not 1 but 3 people asked me about my blog while we've been in Utah. It confirmed two things for me: one, my only readers are my family but two, they do notice when I don't post. What a pleasant surprise!
On Saturday, December 16th, we had the opportunity to help Wreaths of America lay Christmas wreaths on all the graves at Arlington National Cemetery. It was a very sacred experience and I wasn't expecting it to make me as emotional as it did. But more on that later.
We headed out at 7 in the morning to make it DC by 10. It was an incredibly easy event to be a part of, we didn't have to sign up or gather at a meeting place or anything. They had 64 semi trucks throughout the park, each with a trailer full of wreaths. I'm sure they gave instructions somewhere, but we watched others and caught on that the bow was suppose to go on the top and Jewish graves did not receive wreaths. Other than those two guidelines, it was pretty simple.
I mentioned this in my Instagram post, but we had 8 wreaths to hand out between the 2 of us. First we laid some in the World War II section, and then we headed to the newer section of the cemetery. This was my third time visiting Arlington, but it was the first time the real weight of the place settled onto me. I always tried to be mindful and respectful when we visited, but seeing the family members of deceased soldiers form prayer circles around their loved ones made me realize how sacred this place really is. Men and women who, in the most Christlike way, sacrificed their lives to protect ours.
I am so grateful to the soldiers and their families, past and present, who have given so much for the rest of us. We were grateful to do this small act as a way to express our thanks and say Merry Christmas.
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